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New Providence Board affirms phased elementary redistricting, allows limited sibling requests
Summary
The New Providence Board of Education on Jan. 23 reaffirmed its 2022 elementary redistricting plan, phasing transfers to Salt Brook School beginning Sept. 2024, grandfathering current students through specified years and allowing sibling transfer requests subject to Salt Brook class size; the district cited projected local housing growth as the primary impetus.
The New Providence Board of Education on Jan. 23 reaffirmed a previously approved elementary redistricting plan and outlined how it will be phased to move students into Salt Brook School as new housing occupancy increases.
Superintendent Dr. Lauren Zirpoli summarized the plan’s history and rationale, saying the district engaged Statistical Forecasting LLC after the 2017 sale of the Bard property and presented a redistricting proposal that the board approved on Aug. 20, 2022. Zirpoli told the board the updated demographic work and known local housing projects led staff and trustees to keep the timetable as written rather than rescind it.
The phased schedule retains grandfathering protections for students already enrolled: incoming kindergarteners in Zones A and D will attend Salt Brook beginning Sept. 2024; phase two will move Zones B and C beginning Sept. 2026; by Sept. 2027 all residences in Zones A–D will attend Salt Brook unless a student is grandfathered. The administration said families currently in Zones A–D include approximately 96 households representing about 134 students; exact future counts are not specified and will be refined after kindergarten registration opens Feb. 13, 2025.
Board President Bernadette Cuccaro said the board weighed options and chose a phased approach to ‘‘provide the least disruption for students’’ while still addressing class‑size imbalances. Cuccaro added the district will honor sibling transfer requests ‘‘pending class size capacity.’’
Parents at the public comment period urged case‑by‑case consideration and earlier notice of calendar changes and childcare options. Montana Cheal asked how many children would be split across two schools next year; Dr. Zirpoli said the district does not yet have final numbers and will use registration data to inform decisions. Allison Caravano pressed the board to consider individual family impacts; Zirpoli said staff ran address reports from PowerSchool and identified the families currently affected and would evaluate sibling‑transfer requests based on Salt Brook’s kindergarten capacity.
The administration cited multiple local parcels with planned dwellings that would be zoned for Allen W. Roberts as a principal driver for continuing the plan. Zirpoli said the district has discussed accommodations for families who would have children at different schools — including calendar planning to minimize conflicts and the option of early drop‑off and late pickup. When asked whether pre‑ and after‑care costs would fall to families, Zirpoli stated the District will cover the cost of pre‑care and after‑care, though specific start/stop times and operational details remain under development.
Next steps: kindergarten and first‑grade registration opens Feb. 13, 2025; the district will use registration tallies through May to refine class‑size projections and rule on sibling‑transfer requests where Salt Brook capacity allows. The board plans to monitor housing developments and enrollment data as the phased implementation proceeds.
